Jimmy’s blog: Vols play most complete game in dominating Kentucky

Jimmy’s blog: Vols play most complete game in dominating Kentucky

Posted on November 10, 2018

 

By Jimmy Hyams

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The Kentucky Wildcats can be ranked No. 12. They can be 7-2. They can be favored by a touchdown. They can beat Florida in The Swamp. They can mall Mississippi State.

But they can’t beat Tennessee in Neyland Stadium.

Behind a stout defense, Darrell Taylor’s four sacks, a big-play offense, and a stunningly efficient run game, Tennessee (5-5) knocked off Kentucky 24-7 Saturday at Neyland Stadium — Jeremy Pruitt’s second win this season over a ranked team.

How big was the win?

Pruitt let quarterback Jarrett Guarantano meet with the media post-game for the first time this season – that’s how big.

The victory restored Tennessee’s bowl hopes with Missouri and Vanderbilt next on the docket.

And it sent the 10,000-plus Kentucky fans that made their way to Neyland North bound with nothing to cheer about.

Kentucky hasn’t won in Knoxville since 1984 – when Ronald Reagan was president, Bear Bryant was one year removed from coaching and Harry Potter wasn’t even a figment of J.K. Rowling’s imagination.

Pruitt challenged his team to do something that seemed virtually impossible – outrush Kentucky.

He might as well have asked them to climb Mount Leconte.

Remember, this was a Tennessee team that looked inept in rushing for 20 yards on 26 carries against Charlotte – the same Charlotte team that allowed Marshall to rush for 151 Saturday.

“Coach Pruitt challenged us to win the rushing battle,’’ said center Ryan Johnson after UT did just that, 215 to 77. “We want to be a smash mouth team that runs downhill.’’

Maybe so, but that has shown up so seldom that it seemed unlikely that the Vols would be able to do it against one of the better run defenses in the SEC.

The run total was aided by a 59-yard reverse to receiver Jordan Murphy and runs of 29 yards by Ty Chandler (16 for 89 yards) and 22 by Tim Jordan (15 for 63).

Until the Vols got conservative at times in the second half, the play calling was imaginative and effective. Offensive coordinator Tyson Helton kept Kentucky off balance and didn’t ask the offensive line to do things it couldn’t do – like constantly block for up-the-middle running plays.

But while the play calling helped, this was the line’s best performance of the season – better than the South Carolina or Auburn games.

And the team’s performance even drew praise from the hard-to-please Pruitt.

“This was far and away the most complete game we played,’’ Pruitt said.

Pruitt talked about explosive plays – the Vols had first-down gains of 38, 25, 29, 39 and 59 yards.

He praised the defense for “putting the fire out’’ when Kentucky mounted drives. Two Wildcat marches of 15 and 14 plays resulted in missed field goals, one blocked by Shy Tuttle.

Tennessee also forced three turnovers and, for the most part, contained SEC rushing leader Benny Snell, who had 81 yards but didn’t find the end zone.

Then, there was the extraordinary performance by outside linebacker Darrell Taylor, who had a career-high four sacks, half-a-sack off the school record. Taylor has seven sacks this season, all in two games.

“All week we stressed not letting the quarterback out of the pocket,’’ said Taylor, who had a strip-sack fumble recovery in the fourth quarter to stop one Kentucky possession.

Once, Kentucky failed to block Taylor and he had a free shot to the quarterback.

“My eyes lit up like a Christmas tree,’’ Taylor said.

Perhaps no play was bigger than Guarantano’s 39-yard touchdown pass to Marquez Callaway on the final play of the first half to give the Vols a 17-0 cushion. Pruitt was actually content to run out the clock in the first half, but Chandler gained 14 on a third-and-8 and Guarantano hit Callaway for 17 yards to the Kentucky 39 with five seconds left.

“I thought it was big for our momentum,’’ said Guarantano, who completed 12 of 20 passes for 197 yards and set a school record by throwing 146 consecutive passes without an interception.

Guarantano benefitted from a strong run game.

“Our offensive line played out of this world,’’ Guarantano said. “When we have a running game, we’re very hard to stop.’’

And now, the Vols are in position to make a bowl game.

“I think it’s important because the University of Tennessee is supposed to be in bowl games,’’ Pruitt said. “That’s the expectations here. That’s my expectation. That’s our players’ expectations.’’

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Hoops Preview: No. 11/12 Lady Vols vs. Presbyterian

Hoops Preview: No. 11/12 Lady Vols vs. Presbyterian

Posted on November 10, 2018
Cheridean Green – Lady Vols F / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 11/12 Tennessee will open the 2018-19 regular-season schedule on Sunday (Nov. 11), as the Presbyterian Blue Hose come to Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville for a 2 p.m. ET contest (SECN+).

The match-up marks the beginning of the seventh season of the Holly Warlick era and the first-ever meeting between these schools in women’s basketball.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

  • Mick Gillispie (play-by-play), Steve Hamer (analyst) and Kasey Funderburg (sideline) will describe the action for the UT-Presbyterian online broadcast on SECN+.
  • Mickey Dearstone is handling the call for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 20th season. A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
  • Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.

PROMOTIONS FOR THE GAME

  • The UT men’s basketball team used the successful campaign, #FeedTheFloor, a year ago, and this year the Lady Vols will try to reinforce the importance of active, vocal fans with a #SparkTheSummitt initiative. Fans can ignite the home team’s players on their appropriately-named court (The Summitt) with relentless enthusiasm. The home fans can give their all for Tennessee, just like the Lady Vols.
  • Salute to Service Weekend: UT says thank you for the service and sacrifice by members of our U.S. armed forces.
  • Current military members and veterans may present their Military I.D. or DD-214 at Gate C, Gate E or the ticket tent located on Phillip Fulmer Way prior to entering Thompson-Boling Arena for complimentary admission for themselves and their immediate family members.
  • Enjoy the pregame Kids’ Corner at Gate F. Opening one hour prior to tip-off, the fun includes free face painting, the Big Orange prize wheel, visits from Smokey and cheerleaders, crafts and more.
  • It’s National Sundae Day! The first 100 kids at Kids’ Corner can build their own sundae with a wide variety of toppings.
  • Post-game lay-ups: Kids 12 and younger can shoot a lay-up on the court after the game!
  • High-Five Tunnel: Kids 12 and younger can pick up a wristband at the Fan HQ table on the concourse to participate in the pregame High-5 Tunnel. Wristbands are limited. To purchase discounted group tickets and reserve wristbands for your team, call 865-946-7000.
  • Free parking and shuttle service is available from UT’s Ag Campus. Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip.
  • If you attended Rocky Top Tip-Off and have a free ticket voucher for the home opener, present your voucher at Gate C, Gate E or the ticket tent located on Phillip Fulmer Way prior to entry to Thompson-Boling Arena.

LADY VOLS IN OPENERS

  • The Lady Vols are 40-4 in season openers over the past 44 years, including 25-3 at home, 8-0 at neutral sites and 7-1 on the road.
  • UT is 5-1 in season openers under Holly Warlick, including 3-0 at home and 2-1 on the road.
  • UT is 41-3 all-time in its first home game of a season, including 6-0 during the Warlick era.
  • Tennessee has a 30-1 record at Thompson-Boling Arena in its first home appearance of a season, including 3-0 during the Warlick era.
  • UT has won 12 season openers in a row at home, dating back to a 69-64 setback to #6 Louisiana Tech in Knoxville on Nov. 14, 1999.
  • UT has won its last five season-openers and 17 of its last 18.

WHAT TO WATCH

  • THREE STARTERS RETURN: The Lady Vols return three starters in senior guard Meme Jackson and sophomores Rennia Davis (G/F) and Evina Westbrook (PG). That trio should set the tone for UT.
  • PRESEASON PUB: Davis and Westbrook are preseason All-SEC picks and are on the preseason watch lists for the Cheryl Miller Award and Nancy Lieberman Award, respectively. Both made SEC All-Freshman in 2017-18.
  • NO. 4 RECRUITING CLASS: The fourth-ranked signing class in 2018 will make its regular season Rocky Top debut. That group of freshmen includes guard/forward Rae Burrell, forward Mimi Collins, guard Zaay Green and point guard Jazmine Massengill.
  • NEW FACES IN THE PAINT: With Mercedes Russell gone to the WNBA, Cheridene Green, Kasiyahna Kushkituah, Mimi Collins and Kamera Harris are trying to provide UT a new inside presence.

UT’S LAST GAME

  • No. 11/12-ranked Tennessee cruised past Carson-Newman, 128-59, in its season-opening exhibition game last Monday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
  • The Lady Vols, who now have beaten the Lady Eagles 15 years in a row in preseason affairs, had eight players register double-digit points in the win. The true freshman duo of Zaay Green (28 points, 10 rebounds) and Mimi Collins (16 points, 10 rebounds) each posted double-doubles, combining for 44 points and 20 rebounds in their college debuts.
  • Sophomore Rennia Davis (17 points, nine rebounds) and freshman Jazmine Massengill (12 points, nine rebounds) were each a rebound shy of double-doubles. Redshirt senior Cheridene Green (16 points), sophomore Kasiyahna Kushkituah (12 points), sophomore Evina Westbrook(11 points) and freshman Rae Burrell (11 points) rounded out the Big Orange players scoring 10 or more points.

A LOOK AT PRESBYTERIAN

  • Presbyterian is directed by Alaura Sharp, who is in her first season at the school.
  • She came from La. Tech, where she was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator (2016-18).
  • Sharp is 95-63 as a head coach at Garden City (Kansas) Community College (2009-13) and Lamar (Colo.) Community College (2008-09).
  • The Blue Hose return three starters and nine total letterwinners and welcome four newcomers.
  • PC finished 12-18 overall and 9-9 in league play a year ago, good for fifth place.
  • Kacie Hall, a 5-7 junior guard, is the team’s leading returnee, averaging 11.1 points per game and firing in 62 three-pointers in 2017-18.
  • Hall was an All-Big South Honorable Mention selection as a sophomore. She is a preseason All-Big South First Team pick in 2018-19 after posting 12.7 ppg. in league games last year.

PC’S LAST GAME

  • Freshman Shamani Stafford scored a game-high 18 points and senior Salina Virola added a double-double, as the Presbyterian College women’s basketball team defeated Augusta 65-47 in an exhibition game at the Templeton Center in Clinton, S.C., on Nov. 4.
  • Stafford led all scorers with 18 points. She went 7-of-15 from the floor and 2-of-4 for three. Olivia Swantson led Augusta with 15 points, with most of her points coming off 4-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc.
  • Virola posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, a game-high, in just 15 minutes played. In total, PC had four players in double figures with Kacie Hall and Bria Gibbs each scoring 11 points.

UT Athletics

Williams’ 31 leads No. 6 Vols past Louisiana, 87-65

Williams’ 31 leads No. 6 Vols past Louisiana, 87-65

Posted on November 10, 2018
Grant Williams – Vols F / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Grant Williams recorded his fourth career 30-point game, leading No. 6 Tennessee to a 87-65 victory over Louisiana at Thompson-Boling Arena Friday in front of a crowd of 16,864.

Williams finished with 31 points on 11-for-15 shooting, while also collecting 10 rebounds to give him his sixth career double-double. The performance marked the third straight season in which Williams recorded a 30-point game.

Tennessee (2-0) took a 17-point lead into halftime and was never seriously threatened the rest of the night. To open the second half, Louisiana (1-1) hit five of its first seven shots to gradually cut the Vols’ lead to 13 points, but the Cajuns never got closer than that margin for the remainder of the game.

For the second straight game, all five of Tennessee’s starters scored in double figures. In addition to Williams’ 31, Admiral Schofield had 15 while Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden and Kyle Alexander had 10 apiece.

Bone tied a career-high with eight assists. Williams’ 10 rebounds led the Vols on the boards, while Schofield and Yves Pons added seven rebounds each.

In the first half, Louisiana came out hot, hitting five of its first six shots to take an early 13-10 lead. On the next possession, a 3-pointer from Bone jumpstarted a 20-2 Tennessee run.

That run helped the Vols take a 15-point lead with 8:34 remaining in the first half, which led to a 48-31 Tennessee advantage at halftime.

Both Williams and Bone reached double-figure scoring in the opening half, with 15 and 10 respectively. Schofield added nine points in the opening frame. All eight Vols that played in the first half converted at least one field goal.

Defensively in the first half, Tennessee forced 10 turnovers by the Ragin’ Cajuns.

STARTERS PAVING THE WAY: The Vols’ five starters – Kyle Alexander, Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden, Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams – are averaging a combined 73.5 points per game through Tennessee’s first two outings of the season.

ON FIRE THROUGH TWO: Through two games, Tennessee has scored a combined 173 points, the most points by a Tennessee team through the first two games of the season since the 2011-12 campaign (177). Tennessee has also shot 61.9 and 54 percent from the field in its first two games. The Vols shot 50 percent or better from the field during back-to-back games on just one occasion last season.

SHARING THE ROCK: Tennessee finished the game with 27 assists, the most since also dishing out 27 against Ole Miss last season on Feb. 3, 2018. Last season, the Vols averaged 15.7 assists per game. Through two games, UT is averaging 25 assists to its opponents’ nine assists per game.

WILLIAMS REACHES 30 POINTS: Grant Williams’ 31 point performance against Louisiana marks the 12th time that the Charlotte, N.C., native has reached the 20-point threshold in his Tennessee career and first time since last season’s regular-season finale against Georgia.

UP NEXT: Tennessee returns to Thompson-Boling Arena next Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, meeting with Georgia Tech for the fourth straight season. The game will be televised on ESPN2. Tickets remain available at AllVols.com.

 

UT Athletics

Lady Vols Hoops Report (11/9/18)

Lady Vols Hoops Report (11/9/18)

Posted on November 9, 2018
Holly Warlick – Lady Vols HC

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee women’s basketball head coach Holly Warlick met with the media on Friday in advance of Sunday’s regular season opener with Presbyterian. The skipper of the No. 11/12 Lady Vols reflected on what was learned during her team’s exhibition win last Monday and on what can be expected from the Blue Hose, who are appearing for the first time on UT’s schedule.

Tennessee and PC will meet on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena, with the game being streamed on SECN+. Each team is opening the 2018-19 campaign after playing a sole exhibition contest. The Lady Vols rolled past Carson-Newman,128-59, on Nov. 5, while Presbyterian prevailed, 65-47, vs. Augusta in Alaura Sharp’s first game at the helm of the Blue Hose on Nov. 4.

Sunday’s contest will be part of UT’s Salute To Service weekend. Current military members and veterans may present their Military I.D. or DD-214 at Gate C, Gate E or the ticket tent located on Phillip Fulmer Way prior to entering Thompson-Boling Arena for complimentary admission for themselves and their immediate family members.

Head Coach Holly Warlick

On Evina Westbrook’s maturity:
“Being a point guard as a freshman (last year) in the SEC is extremely difficult. Anytime you get the chance to get experience against the teams we play, going every day in practice against guys (male practice players), it’s going to help her. She’s doing fantastic… just her focus, her ability to lead, what she’s done with the freshmen. She’s really taken the opportunity to spend a lot of time with them and help them along the way.”

On Westbrook taking the freshmen under her wing:
“Most definitely. A lot of it is the off- the-court stuff that we don’t see. She lives with two of our freshmen, so she has to be a great example for them on a daily basis. You can tell, and you can ask them, the freshmen listen to her.”

On what they are working on following the exhibition win over Carson-Newman:
“(We) really want to continue on our intensity, take great shots and stay focused – those three things. I thought our exhibition game was great for us. We played a lot of people, and we’re going to play a lot of people, but really for the most part, I’m pleased with those three things… but we’ve got to continue to get better.”

On how they’ve been working on intensity and focus:
“We spend a lot of time on it. We spend a lot of time not allowing them to be average. We spend a lot of time on making sure we have everyone’s attention and they’re staying focused. We just put them in situations where they’ve got to think. It’s not always about coming to a coach and saying, ‘Is that right or wrong?’ Sometimes we learn it’s trial and error, and this group has done a great job with it.”

On how the team’s chemistry translated on the floor against Carson-Newman:
“Just in their excitement, seeing how they’re excited for each other. Not so much when they do something for themselves, but when Zaay Green blocks a shot, they’re all going crazy. When someone makes a three, they’re all going crazy. And that’s what makes it fun, seeing people get excited about other people.”

On if she plans on mixing up lineups:
“I recruited them to play. They’re coming along. They’re going to make mistakes, yes, but the only way they can learn is to get out there, and I’m going to play them, because of the style we’re playing;  We’re running, we’re pressing, and it takes a lot out of you, so, I’m going to play a lot of people.

On if she saw any player combinations that surprised her during the Carson-Newman game:
“You always do. You’ll see a team that maybe rebounds better together or is a better defensive team together, or the offense flows a little better with this group. It’s too early to really pinpoint, but I’m watching that, absolutely.”

On who she expects to be three-point shooters this season:
“Rennia Davis, Zaay Green, Rae (Burrell), Meme (Jackson) – they’re all very capable of doing that. We didn’t shoot the ball well the other day, and that translates to me to go get you a two and then come back and shoot the three. They’ve been consistent, but we’ve got to get better, and we’re just continuing to work on it.”

On if the struggles at the free-throw line are mostly mental:
“Oh, I’m sure it is. To me, that’s what it is, it’s mental. And when it’s mental, you get in the gym and it’s just repetitions and that builds confidence. That allows you, when you shoot 500 free throws a week, now you step to the line and think, ‘Now I’ve shot 500 of these. I’ve got to get up there with confidence.’ Free throws, a lot of it is mental; a lot of it is mental, and the only way you can overcome that is repetition and getting in the gym.”

On how she expects Presbyterian to challenge UT on Sunday:
“Some of the guards are small, and like Carson-Newman, shoot the three-ball well. They’re going to spread the floor, going to spread us out.  Our bigs are going to have to come out and play. (They’ve got) a new coach. I haven’t seen film on them, but know what they did in their exhibition game, so we’ve just got to go out and get our feet wet and just kind of adjust as the game goes on.”

On how Lou Brown is handling everything since her injury:
“I think it hits her at different times. I think the first game she was a little emotional not being out there, but she sees where she’s going to contribute, and that’s her maturity and her knowledge. There’s something about sitting on a bench and watching the game and not worrying, ‘Am I going in? Am I not going in?’ She’s literally focused on the game and what she sees and what she can relay to her teammates. It’s really good for you to hear your peers tell you what they see.”

On when she expects to hear from the NCAA about a potential sixth year of eligibility for Lou Brown:
“That’s a great question. I don’t know the answer to that; hopefully sooner rather than later… She’s doing great. She’s doing really, really well. But I don’t know the process. We’ve never had this situation happen, so I don’t know what the timetable is, but we’re very hopeful it will happen.”

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